Amazon Executive Doubles Down On RTO Policy: If You Don’t Like It, Then Quit

Amazon, the world’s second largest private employer, is reaffirming its commitment to its recently announced return-to-office policy, which requires all employees work onsite five days a week.

Matt Garman, the CEO of Amazon Web Services, said in an all-hands meeting on Thursday that the majority of employees he has conferred with support the online retailer’s stricter directive. He also suggested that those who find the office environment unsuitable or undesirable are free to seek employment elsewhere, according to a transcript obtained by Reuters.

"If there are people who just don't work well in that environment and don't want to, that's okay, there are other companies around," Garman stated. He immediately followed up this statement by clarifying, "By the way, I don't mean that in a bad way. We want to be in an environment where we're working together."

Garman asserted that the current three-day, in-office hybrid work model had been ineffective. "We didn't really accomplish anything, like we didn't get to work together and learn from each other," because people may be in the offices on different days, said the AWS leader.

He believes the tech giant’s culture, principles and values are difficult to honor when employees aren’t experiencing them in person day-to-day.

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy announced last month in a company blog post that he is mandating employees return to the office five days a week, starting January 2, 2025.

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“When we look back over the last five years, we continue to believe that the advantages of being together in the office are significant,” Jassy wrote in the memo.

“We’ve observed that it’s easier for our teammates to learn, model, practice, and strengthen our culture; collaborating, brainstorming, and inventing are simpler and more effective; teaching and learning from one another are more seamless; and, teams tend to be better connected to one another,” the chief executive added.

Jassy said the last 15 months back in the office further reinforced his conviction of the added benefits of traditional, in-person work.

The new mandate triggered a significant backlash among its employees. Many workers at the tech giant are reportedly seeking new employment opportunities by “rage-applying” to other jobs, in response to the policy update, employees told Fortune.

Dell

Last month, Dell also introduced a return-to-office policy that caused some panic among parents, Business Insider reported.

In February, U.S. employees at the tech company were given an ultimatum: opt for hybrid work or choose a fully remote position. However, this choice came with a stark caveat—those selecting remote work would forfeit opportunities for career advancement, including promotions and role changes.

The policy further tightened in May, when hybrid workers were mandated to be physically present in the office for 39 days each quarter, essentially requiring a three-day in-office workweek.

Then, on a Thursday in late September, the Dell's sales team received an internal memo from the executives, stating that starting the following Monday, they would be required to work in the office five days a week—giving them only two-business-days’ notice.

"The expectation is that ALL Global Sales team members who can work from a Dell office be on-site five days a week, regardless of role," wrote the company’s sales chiefs Bill Scannell and John Byrne in the letter to staff.

The memo described the sales floor as a distinctive setting characterized by vibrant energy and teamwork, stating, "To harness this energy and grow skills, we believe our sales teams need to be together in the office. Additionally, our data shows that sales teams are more productive when onsite."

Some parents and caregivers on the sales team informed Business Insider that the sudden lack of notice caused significant distress. A spokesperson for Dell explained that the global sales team was expected to make every effort to work in the office or visit customer and partner locations while adjusting their personal circumstances to accommodate a full-time return to the office.

"We emphasize flexibility and encourage team members to collaborate with their managers to accommodate their specific needs during this transition," the company representative told the news publication.

Spotify Not Following Amazon And Dell’s Lead

Unlike its tech-industry counterparts, Spotify is standing firm in maintaining its flexible work-from-anywhere policy, as the company has observed zero decline in productivity or efficiency since adopting its distributed work model.

“You can’t spend a lot of time hiring grown-ups and then treat them like children,” Spotify chief human resources officer Katarina Berg told Raconteur. “We are a business that’s been digital from birth, so why shouldn’t we give our people flexibility and freedom? Work is not a place you come to, it’s something you do,” Berg added.

The HR leader acknowledged that it can be challenging to collaborate in a virtual setting, but begged the question: “But does that mean that we will start forcing people to come into the office as soon as there is a trend for it? No.”

For employees who enjoy coming into the office, the digital music, podcast and video streaming platform will retain its office space, recognizing the positive effects that in-person social interactions can have on mental health and overall well-being.

“We know what happens when people sit down and you can actually look each other in the eye. It’s different to being on screen. Some people like to come into the office and meet people,” Berg said.

Spotify implemented its work-from-anywhere policy in 2021, allowing employees to “work from wherever they do their best thinking and creating.”

The company said in a blog post at the time, “Effectiveness can’t be measured by the number of hours people spend in an office. Instead, giving people the freedom to choose where they work will boost effectiveness. Giving our people more flexibility will support a better work-life balance and also help tap into new talent pools while keeping our existing band members.”